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Truth be told, Spider-Man isn't a superhero at all. He's just a goofy, science nerd in a silly suit given a power that a guy like him wasn't really meant to have. But isn't that his charm? In the great expanse of the Marvel universe, characters will come and go, but few--I mean barely a handful--possess the staying power that good old Peter Parker does. But his appearances in video games have been spotty at best. He's been around the block way to many times and it's about time he got his dues.
Developer Treyarch's vision for the Spider-Man 2 video game, based on the second live-action film, gave fans hope for the future. Building on that formula, comes a project with no greater foundation, Ultimate Spider-Man. So how does it measure up? Well let's just say, you can bet your web fluid that you'll be sticking to this one for a while.
 Since Ultimate Spider-Man unfolds like a comic, the creators wanted no obstacles to break their story-telling rhythm. You ain't gonna find Devil May Cry-level combat, and to be honest, it would probably work against the mainstream appeal of the game. After all, we are stepping into the tights of a seriously powered up guy. As my grandmother used to say: who cares what's in the pie if it tastes good; and man, does this taste good (great, now I'm hungry for pie!).
Your combat set encompasses a mix of punches, kicks, wall bounces, and webbing. Button-mashing is all it really takes to beat the average thugs. After a quick bout with your foes, you can hose punks down for the cops to take care of later or hang them from fire escapes. Boss battles fall prey to the repetitive nature of combat, often deteriorating to patterns like jump attack, back off, jump attack, etcetera.
As Spidey, you are free to roam much of the city (some areas are locked in the beginning) and save people from thugs on the streets, in cars, and on rooftops. The way people freak out when you get near them or how you can hear bits and pieces of conversations as you swing by truly adds to the atmosphere.
Just as Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's vision for the goofy, and often, charming Peter Parker was realized in the recent blockbuster films, so has the energy of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic faithfully been repurposed for our eyes, ears, and hands to enjoy. The reason for such success, I'm sure, is owed to Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley.
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